Apple's statement did not specify which HTC products infringe on Apple patents.

HTC has not yet seen the lawsuit filing, so cannot comment specifically about it, said Keith Nowak, media relations manager at the company's North American headquarters in Bellevue, Washington. However, the company has been making phones for years and holds many of its own patents, he noted, adding "we value patent rights and their enforcement."

This suit brings to mind Apple’s recent patent troubles with Nokia—although in this case HTC’s not the one firing the first shot.Steve Jobs himself is quoted in Apple's statement: “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”

This mirrors a quote given by Apple’s General Counsel, Bruce Sewell, after Apple countersued Nokia in December: “Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not just by stealing ours.”